FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT GENERAL ELECTION - PAGE 5

This month, The Herald-Mail is running a series of stories to help readers learn more about the three candidates for Maryland's 6th District seat in Congress and their positions. Today, we start with profiles of the candidates - Republican Roscoe Bartlett , the eight-term incumbent; Democrat Jennifer P. Dougherty ; and Libertarian Gary W. Hoover Sr . Next Monday, we'll have a story on their thoughts about energy and oil. The 6th District includes all of Garrett, Allegany, Washington, Frederick and Carroll counties, and part of Montgomery, Harford and Baltimore counties.

Republican Alfred W. Boyer filed Wednesday to run for one of the five Hagerstown City Council seats up for grabs in the May 20 general election. Boyer, of 1142 The Terrace, serves on the Hagerstown Planning Commission. Two other candidates had filed to run for City Council seats as of Wednesday - incumbent William M. Breichner and former Councilman Larry A. Vaughn. Both are Democrats. The deadline to file for a City Council seat or for the mayor's office is Friday, Jan. 24.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Antrim Township Republicans on Tuesday voted to make Richard "Rick" Baer their representative in November's general election, with all five precincts reporting, but results still unofficial. Baer, with 487 votes, led over Larry Eberly, Jeff Todd, Larson Wenger, Dwight Thrush and Kim Y. Robinson. With 169 votes, the lone Democrat to file, John Alleman, will represent his party in November. Supervisor Scott Diffenderfer opted not to run for another six-year term, opening his seat as the only one available this election cycle.

The question of whether to hold nonpartisan elections in Hagerstown is slated to appear on next year's general election ballot, but not before it receives more discussion. The Hagerstown City Council decided in August that it wanted to put the proposed change to a nonpartisan election - an election in which candidates are not nominated based on political party - on the 2012 general election ballot as a nonbinding question for voters. But on Tuesday the council decided it needed more information before moving forward on a resolution adding the question to the ballot.

By JULIE E. GREENE Staff Writer Former correctional officer Robert E. Bruchey II will face incumbent Steven T. Sager in the race for mayor of Hagerstown in the May general election, according to unofficial results of Tuesday's primary election. Bruchey, 38, of 905 Woodland Way, received 230 more votes than former city police officer Leon C. Fearnow to win the Republican nomination in Tuesday's GOP primary election. "I'm really happy that I've won," said Bruchey, who was at the election board office with his wife, Susan, when the results were announced Tuesday night.

A candidate forum held Thursday at Hagerstown Community College will be shown one more time on Antietam Cable Television before the Nov. 4 general election. It will air Monday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m. on Antietam Cable's channel 19. The forum also will be available on Antietam Cable's video-on-demand starting Monday and at www.antpod.com later in the week week. The Herald-Mail Co., Antietam Cable and HCC worked together on the forum for candidates for Maryland's 6th District seat in Congress and for four seats on the Washington County Board of Education.

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) -- Democrat Jason Judd and Republican Randy McClement won their primaries to move on to the general election in the Frederick mayor's race. Turnout was light Tuesday as voters went to the polls for mayor and the Board of Aldermen. With all 12 of the city's precincts reporting, Judd had 59.7 percent of the Democratic vote and McClement had 72.5 of the vote. Results are unofficial. Judd is a union activist and an economist. McClement owns a downtown delicatessen.

Nineteen absentee and overseas ballots that were opened last week did not change the results of the Washington County Board of Education primary. Barry C. Harbaugh apparently held on to his slim lead over Gary E. Nally for the eighth and final spot on the Nov. 2 general election ballot. Including the 15 absentee ballots and four overseas ballots counted last Friday, Harbaugh has 2,861 votes. Nally has 2,842 votes, or 19 fewer than Harbaugh. Coming into Friday, Nally was 17 votes behind.

martinsburg@herald-mail.com MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - The Berkeley County Commission will officially recount the votes in last week's primary election to determine which Republican will move on to the November general election for a spot on the commission. The recount will begin at 1 p.m. next Thursday in the commission chambers. The recount was requested by James L. Edwards, who trailed opponent Steve Teufel by eight votes for the Republican nomination after a canvass of the votes was completed.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- Patricia Ann "Patsy" Kilmer was appointed Thursday by the Berkeley County Commission to serve as Berkeley County's assessor until after the 2010 general election. Kilmer, 62, of Inwood, W.Va., served as chief deputy assessor under Preston B. Gooden, who died last week. Gooden, 69, was elected to a second four-year term in November 2008. "I'm going to do the very best job (I can)," Kilmer said. "We're going just continue on with what Preston would want us to do. " The commission was obligated by state code to appoint a Republican to the post because Gooden was a Republican.